Psoriasis drug 'slows dementia'

25 November 2012 Last updated at 18:05 ET

Drugs used to calm inflammation in psoriasis may also help to combat the effects of Alzheimer's disease, a study on mice suggests.

Tests showed the short-term memory of the animals improved when given similar drugs, according to a study published in the journal Nature Medicine.

The build-up of proteins thought to destroy brain cells was also reduced.

Alzheimer's Research UK said brain inflammation was looking like a "key player" in the disease.

Psoriasis is an inflammatory disorder caused when the immune system attacks healthy skin cells, stimulating the production of new skin.

The immune system, which controls levels of inflammation, has been implicated in both Alzheimer's disease and psoriasis.

However, the exact cause of the gradual destruction of the tissues of the brain during Alzheimer's disease is still unknown.

There is increasing evidence that inflammation is a key player in Alzheimer's and it is an exciting area for researchers working to defeat this devastating disease

Researchers at the University of Zurich, in Switzerland, and the Charite university hospital, Germany, targeted two components of the immune system known to boost inflammation in mice genetically programmed to develop Alzheimer's.

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Psoriasis drug 'slows dementia'